Al Ittihad’s Alwaleed Aloufi is among the forwards spearheading Saudi Arabia’s charge as they look to capitalise on home advantage and claim a second title following their success in 1988.

Uzbekistan were the only team to keep a clean sheet in the Qualifiers, with Nematulloh Rustamjonov providing a safe pair of hands for the Central Asians.

Manchester United academy star Silva Mexes is set to feature for the Young Elephants. The son of Wales legend Robert Earnshaw, Mexes will be eager to make a strong impression.

China PR advanced as one of the best runners-up teams thanks to the contributions of 

Meizhou Hakka’s Wei Xiangxin who found the back of the net in every game after the opening day win against Bahrain. He finished with four goals.

Hiroto Asada scored six goals during the Qualifiers. In Japan's 9-2 victory over Nepal, he netted a hat-trick and scored twice in Japan's 5-0 win against Qatar.

Western United forward Anthony Didulica will be entrusted to deliver the goals for Australia, after providing five goals in the Qualifiers.

Vietnam put up a strong performance in the Qualifiers with a notable contribution from defender Le Huy Viet Anh, who was not only resolute at the back but also scored the equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Yemen.

Mayed Adel will look to build on his impressive displays after helping UAE top a three-team Group H, following Lebanon's withdrawal. The Al Nasr forward found the net in both of UAE’s qualification matches.

Despite the absence of leading scorer Jun Min-seong, who netted four times in the Qualifiers, Korea Republic will turn to Kim Ji-Sung, who starred with a hat-trick in the 13-0 win over Maldives.

Yemen can rely on Mohammed Al Garash to step up when it matters, as the Ittihad-IBB defender proved in their comeback 3-2 win against Kyrgyz Republic when he scored twice from the spot.

Midfielder Arash Ahmadi stood out with five goals in the Qualifiers for Afghanistan, who are aiming to improve on the group stage exits in 2010 and 2014.

Mathew Ryan Baker will rely on his experience in the A-League to carry his team through. The defender was instrumental in helping Indonesia keep three clean sheets in their qualifying campaign.

Omid Garachchomaghloo can not only provide the spark in Iran’s attack but also creativity in midfield as they look to reclaim the title they won in 2008. Garachchomaghloo starred with four goals against Hong Kong in the Qualifiers.

Muhammadjon Nazriev (Tajikistan)
Muhammadjon Nazriev was the top scorer of the Qualifiers, netting an impressive 16 goals. His most notable performance came against Guam, where he scored 14 goals in a single match, contributing significantly to Tajikistan's 33-0 victory.

Nizwa forward Al Walid Al Rashdi will be aiming to be even sharper after starring with four goals in Oman’s qualifying campaign. 

Forward Kim Yu Jin played a starring role in DPR Korea’s qualifying campaign with four goals. Kim, who plays his club football with 4.25 Sports Club, scored a brace in their 8-2 win over Hong Kong before netting a last-gasp winner in the 2-1 defeat of Syria.